Management & Investment Process

Management

The investment team leverages high degrees of experience and knowledge within a disciplined investment process. Learn more about the Team.
  • N. David Samra
  • Managing Director
  • 31Years Investment
    Experience
  • Beini Zhou, CFA
  • Co-Portfolio Manager
  • 18Years Investment
    Experience
  • Anand Vasagiri
  • Co-Portfolio Manager
  • 19Years Investment
    Experience

Investment Process

The investment team seeks to invest in high-quality, undervalued businesses that offer the potential for superior risk/reward outcomes. The investment universe is generally non-US equities with market caps below $5 billion.

Undervaluation

  • Determine the intrinsic value of the business
  • Invest at a significant discount to intrinsic value

Business Quality

  • Strong free cash flow
  • High/improving returns on capital
  • Strong competitive positions

Financial Strength

  • Strong balance sheets reduce potential for capital risk
  • Provides management ability to build value

Shareholder-Oriented Management

  • History of building shareholder value

In-depth Investment Process

 

Investment Results (% USD)

As of 29 February 2024 QTD YTD 1 Yr 3 Yr 5 Yr 10 Yr Inception
Composite — Gross -0.48 -0.48 7.82 5.58 14.66
Composite — Net -0.63 -0.63 7.56 3.86 12.49
MSCI All Country World ex USA Small Cap Index -0.73 -0.73 9.91 0.10 7.28
As of 31 December 2023 QTD YTD 1 Yr 3 Yr 5 Yr 10 Yr Inception
Composite — Gross 12.18 22.42 22.42 8.63 15.65
Composite — Net 11.61 20.33 20.33 6.55 13.41
MSCI All Country World ex USA Small Cap Index 10.12 15.66 15.66 1.49 7.92

Annual Results (% USD)

Trailing 12 Months Ended 31 December 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Composite — Gross 20.65 -13.21 22.42
Composite — Net 18.38 -15.08 20.33

Calendar Year Returns (% USD)

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Composite — Gross 20.65 -13.21 22.42
Composite — Net 18.38 -15.08 20.33
MSCI All Country World ex USA Small Cap Index 12.93 -19.97 15.66
Returns for periods less than one year are not annualized. 

Past performance does not guarantee and is not a reliable indicator of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance shown. Composite performance has been presented in both gross and net of investment management fees. 
Top 10 Holdings
(% of total portfolio as of 29 February 2024)
M&C Saatchi PLC (Communication Services) 9.4
Glenveagh Properties PLC (Consumer Discretionary) 7.3
Despegar.com Corp (Consumer Discretionary) 6.6
Zuken Inc (Information Technology) 4.6
Alten SA (Information Technology) 4.1
Care Ratings Ltd (Financials) 4.0
Sato Holdings Corp (Industrials) 3.9
Impro Precision Industries Ltd (Industrials) 3.1
Steadfast Group Ltd (Financials) 3.0
Signify NV (Industrials) 2.6
Total 48.6%
Portfolio Statistics
(as of 29 February 2024)
Median Market Cap (Billions) $0.6
Weighted Avg. Market Cap (Billions) $1.5
Weighted Harmonic Avg. P/E (FY1) 14.3X
Weighted Harmonic Avg. P/E (FY2) 11.2X
Weighted Avg. Net Debt/Capital 0.0%
Weighted Avg. EV/EBITDA 8.4X
Median Price/Book Value 1.8X
Weighted Avg. ROA 2.8%
Active Share 99.2%
Annual Turnover 26.4%
Number of Securities 36
Number of Countries 21
Cash (% of total portfolio) 15.0%
Region Allocation
(% of portfolio securities as of 29 February 2024)
Region Allocation chart
Europe 57.1
Pacific Basin 19.9
Emerging Markets 19.3
Americas 3.7
Total 100.0%
Top 10 Countries
(% of portfolio securities as of 29 February 2024)
United Kingdom 24.4
Japan 12.7
Ireland 8.6
Argentina 7.8
France 6.9
Germany 5.8
India 4.7
Netherlands 4.3
Hong Kong 3.6
Australia 3.6
Sector Diversification
(% of portfolio securities as of 29 February 2024)
Communication Services 11.1
Consumer Discretionary 23.0
Consumer Staples
Energy
Financials 11.1
Health Care 4.5
Industrials 21.1
Information Technology 19.3
Materials 8.0
Real Estate 2.0
Utilities
Other
Total 100.0%
  • Artisan International Explorer Strategy: A Three-Year Reflection
  • View PDF
  • Celebrating Three Years at the Firm: Beini Zhou and Anand Vasagiri
  • Watch Now
International investments involve special risks, including currency fluctuation, lower liquidity, different accounting methods and economic and political systems, and higher transaction costs. These risks typically are greater in emerging and less developed markets, including frontier markets. Such risks include new and rapidly changing political and economic structures, which may cause instability; underdeveloped securities markets; and higher likelihood of high levels of inflation, deflation or currency devaluations. Securities of small- and medium-sized companies tend to have a shorter history of operations, be more volatile and less liquid and may have underperformed securities of large companies during some periods. Value securities may underperform other asset types during a given period. The costs associated with an investment will impact your return over time. These risks, among others, are further described in Artisan Partners Form ADV, which is available upon request. 

Unless otherwise indicated, strategy characteristics relate to that of a representative account managed within the investment composite. It is intended to provide a general illustration of the investment strategy and considerations used by Artisan Partners in managing that strategy. Individual accounts managed to the strategy may differ, at times significantly, from the reference data shown due to varying account restrictions, fees and expenses, and longevity periods, among others. Where applicable, this information is supplemental to, and not to be construed with, a current or prospective client's investment account information.

Performance Source: Artisan Partners/MSCI. Net-of-fees composite returns were calculated using the highest model investment advisory fees applicable to portfolios within the composite. Fees may be higher for certain pooled vehicles and the composite may include accounts with performance-based fees. All performance results are net of commissions and transaction costs, and have been presented gross and net of investment advisory fees. Dividend income is recorded net of foreign withholding taxes on ex-dividend date or as soon after the ex-dividend date as the information becomes available to Artisan Partners. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Performance results for the Index include reinvested dividends and are presented net of foreign withholding taxes but, unlike the portfolio's returns, do not reflect the payment of sales commissions or other expenses incurred in the purchase or sale of the securities included in the indices. 

Data & Statistics Sources: Artisan Partners/MSCI/GICS. Sector exposure percentages reflect sector designations as currently classified by GICS. Annual turnover is reported as of the strategy’s fiscal year end. Artisan Partners may exclude outlier data and certain securities which lack applicable attributes, such as private securities when calculating portfolio statistics. If information is unavailable for a particular security Artisan may use data from a related security to calculate portfolio statistics. For the purpose of determining the Fund's holdings, securities of the same issuer are aggregated to determine the weight in the Fund. Securities of the same issuer are aggregated to determine a holding’s weight in the portfolio. Cash weighting includes cash and cash equivalents. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 

Median is the data's midpoint value. Market Cap (USD) is the aggregate value of all of a company's outstanding equity securities. Weighted Average is the average of values weighted to the data set's composition. Weighted Harmonic Average is a calculation of weighted average commonly used for rates or ratios. Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E Ratio) measures how expensive a stock is. Earnings figures used for FY1 and FY2 are estimates for the current and next unreported fiscal years. Net Debt/Capital reflects a company’s financial leverage as measured by its net debt (total debt minus cash & cash equivalents) divided by total capital. The aggregate calculation excludes companies classified by GICS as banks, consumer finance and capital markets to focus on nonfinancial liabilities. Enterprise Value to Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EV/EBITDA) is a measure of the intrinsic value of a business. EV is calculated as the market capitalization of the company plus its long-term debt. EBITDA is an approximate measure of a company's operating cash flow based on data from the company's income statement. It is calculated by looking at earnings before the deduction of interest expenses, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Return on Assets (ROA) is a profitability ratio that measures the amount of net income returned as a percentage of total assets. Active Share is defined as the percentage of a portfolio that differs from its benchmark index. Active Share can range from 0% for an index fund that perfectly mirrors its benchmark to 100% for a portfolio with no overlap with an index. Free Cash Flow is a measure of financial performance calculated as operating cash flow minus capital expenditures. Return on Capital (ROC) is a measure of how effectively a company uses the money (borrowed or owned) invested in its operations. 

MSCI All Country World ex USA Small Cap Index measures the performance of small-cap companies in developed markets and emerging markets excluding the US. The index(es) are unmanaged; include net reinvested dividends; do not reflect fees or expenses; and are not available for direct investment. 

MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein. The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used to create indices or financial products. This report is not approved or produced by MSCI. 

The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS®) is the exclusive intellectual property of MSCI Inc. (MSCI) and Standard & Poor’s Financial Services, LLC (S&P). Neither MSCI, S&P, their affiliates, nor any of their third party providers (“GICS Parties”) makes any representations or warranties, express or implied, with respect to GICS or the results to be obtained by the use thereof, and expressly disclaim all warranties, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The GICS Parties shall not have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of such damages.